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Thankfully Clarke is now fully recovered, but Yates spoke ahead of the Coventry match about his surprise when he saw Clarke coming off the pitch in Bury.

"I couldn't believe the reaction he had, when I saw him coming off his face was so blown up. Thankfully we managed to get him to the hospital and give him the drugs he needed," said Yates.

Stuart Sinclair also failed to play a full 90 minutes against Bury last midweek, but for very different reasons. The midfielder was sent off having been booked twice in fifteen first half minutes - both for diving.

"It's a difficult one," said Yates.

"To be sent off for two diving offences is very unheard of in this day and age and he was a little bit unlucky.

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"He is certainly no cheat, that's one thing I'll say about Stuart - he is no cheat. I think they were a little bit harsh those yellows, but the referees decision is final and we have to live with it. He's served his suspension so we get on with it now."

Sinclair is in line to return to the Rovers starting XI on Saturday for the trip to Coventry, but Darrell Clarke is known to enjoy tinkering with his side.

"The manager is not afraid to change his side," said Yates.

He's certainly not wrong.

Clarke hasn't named an unchanged Rovers XI since September 17 away to Bradford, and he won't be able to this weekend either with Ryan Sweeney away on international duty with Republic of Ireland Under 21s.